ITC NTM surveys are conducted in 2 steps: initial phone screen interviews to identify companies facing difficulties with NTMs and a second detailed face-to-face interview to understand the nature of the difficulty with affected companies willing to participate. Please refer to survey methodology for details on the sampling technique.

Show distribution by :Company SizeExport Sector

Samples for initial phone-screening interviews is based on stratified-random sampling in order to be representative by sector. Samples for face-to-face interviews depend upon the outcome of phone-screen interviews. Please refer to survey methodology for more info on sampling technique and metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

Show results for :All companiesExportersImportersAll sectorsAgriculturalManufacturing

Each surveyed company is asked to indicate the percentage of female employees in the company and whether the company is either owned or managed by a woman. Please refer to metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

Show results for :All sizesSmallMediumLargeAll sectorsAgriculturalManufacturing

In the initial phone-screening interviews companies are asked about their experiences with NTMs. The affected rate refers to the proportion of companies who reported to have faced regulatory or procedural obstacles to trade in home, destination market or transit countries in the past one year. Please refer to metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

Distribution of NTM cases reported across regions applying the NTM

Show results for :All sizesSmallMediumLargeAll sectorsAgriculturalManufacturing

Companies affected by burdensome NTMs are asked to indicated the country whose regulation they find difficult to comply with. Country applying the regulation may be the home country, partner country or transit country. For analysis partner countries are categorized into 3 categories: the main regional economic bloc, OECD market, and rest of developing countries. Please refer to metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

Types of burdensome NTMs faced by exporters and the reason making them difficult to comply with

Show results for :All sizesSmallMediumLargeAll sectorsAgriculturalManufacturing

Click on any NTM chapter on the left chart to find out why they are perceived as burdensome.Affected companies are asked to describe the type of regulatory obstacle to trade they face. These regulatory difficulties are categorized according to the NTM classification for surveys. In the left chart, the type of difficulties companies face can be seen in an aggregated "Chapter" level or a more detailed "Measure" level. The chart on the right indicates why NTMs are perceived as burdensome. Please refer to NTM Survey Classification on the various types of NTMs and metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

Types of burdensome NTMs faced by importers and the reason making them difficult to comply with

Show results for :All sizesSmallMediumLargeAll sectorsAgriculturalManufacturing

Click on any NTM chapter on the left chart to find out why they are perceived as burdensome.Affected companies are asked to describe the type of regulatory obstacle to trade they face. These regulatory difficulties are categorized according to the NTM classification for surveys. In the left chart, the type of difficulties companies face can be seen in an aggregated "Chapter" level or a more detailed "Measure" level. The chart on the right indicates why NTMs are perceived as burdensome. Please refer to NTM Survey Classification on the various types of NTMs and metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

The share of burdensome regulations reported by exporters according to the region applying it compared to that regions share of the country's total exports. For analysis partner countries are categorized into 3 categories: the main regional economic bloc, OECD market, and rest of developing countries. The export figures corresponds to the year the survey was implemented in the country and excludes the sale of mineral products and arms.

Show results for :All sizesSmallMediumLargeAll sectorsAgriculturalManufacturing

Procedural obstacles (POs) that make compliance to regulations difficult may occur in home, partner or transit country. The country where the PO occurs may be different to the country that actually applies the regulation. Please refer to metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

Types of procedural obstacles related to NTMs faced by exporters

Show results for :All sizesSmallMediumLargeAll sectorsAgriculturalManufacturing

Select the type of NTM on the left chart to find out the different POs that makes compliance difficult. For each regulation (NTM) a company may face multiple procedural obstacles which make compliance to that particular regulation difficult. The number of PO cases relate to those occurring in home, partner and in a few cases in transit country. POs occuring in transit countries are not displayed on the chart. Please refer to metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

Types of procedural obstacles related to NTMs faced by importers

Show results for :All sizesSmallMediumLargeAll sectorsAgriculturalManufacturing

Select the type of NTM on the left chart to find out the different POs that makes compliance difficult. For each regulation (NTM) a company may face multiple procedural obstacles which make compliance to that particular regulation difficult. The number of PO cases relate to those occurring in home, partner and in a few cases in transit country. POs occuring in transit countries are not displayed on the chart. Please refer to metadata for definition of company sizes and sector.

Percentage of companies that find their businesses being affected by specific business environment conditions

Percentage of surveyed companies who report specific business environment conditions in their countries to be hindering their ability export or import. Note: Questions on business environment conditions were not part of the survey for some countries.

Show results for :Administrative burdensTransport and storage problemsInfrastructure and production constraintsLegal and financial issues

Companies perception on how specific business environment conditions in their countries have changed in the past 5 years. Note: Questions on business environment conditions were not part of the survey for some countries.

Trinidad and Tobago

Companies in Trinidad and Tobago who export food and agri-based products, such as milk, fruit juices and spices, are seriously affected by non-tariff measures (NTMs), with 40% reporting difficulties, according to a survey by the International Trade Centre (ITC). Around 30% of exporters of wood, wood and paper products said they face barriers to trade from NTMs, while 24% of businesses involved in the export of chemicals said they are similarly affected.

The survey shows that 22% of exporting companies and 30% of importing companies face burdensome NTMs and other obstacles to trade. Technical measures make up the majority of burdensome NTM cases applied by partner countries. Most NTMs in developed-country markets, such as the United States of America, Canada and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, are related to conformity assessments and technical requirements. High charges, such as for laboratory testing, are also reported to be a major obstacle.

Addressing these obstacles will lead to greater transparency of business practices and regulations, making it easier to export goods to countries around the world.The results of the survey will undoubtedly help Trinidad and Tobago better negotiate with partners for the reduction/elimination of non-tariff barriers, especially as the country moves forward with current trade negotiations in neighbouring countries.

Background

The survey of 500 businesses, conducted between August 2011 and April 2012, reveals that 53% of trade obstacles are within CARICOM. Barbados and Jamaica alone account for just over one-half of all NTM cases in the region.

The businesses surveyed for the study represent the most important export sectors of Trinidad and Tobago, including those involved with food and agro-based products, chemicals, metals, machinery, equipment and electronics, and the manufacturing sub-sectors of wood and textiles. Excluded from the study are the minerals, petroleum and services sectors.